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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities charged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, prompted by an report which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The US authorities accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the government release noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to cease providing financial and military support to the warring parties," the department stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "very significant" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.